September 28, 2008

International Talk Like A Stupid Pirate Day...

MOGADISHU (AFP) - - The Somali pirates who captured an Ukrainian freighter carrying an arms shipment on Sunday demanded a ransom of 20 million dollars and confirmed that they have been surrounded by foreign warships, a spokesman for the pirates told AFP.

"We have only demanded 20 million US dollars," the spokesman Sugule Ali said when contacted aboard the ship via a satellite telephone.

"The crew are safe and not harmed; what we are waiting eagerly is the 20 million dollars nothing less, nothing more."

He also said that "it is true we are surrounded by three foreign military vessels and there are some others we can see from a distance."

Emphasis mine.

Stupid or brave? I'd say mostly stupid. They don't make pirates like they used to. But they do make them, which bothers me a bit. I thought one of the things that the Navy was supposed to do was to keep the sea lanes clear of these scum.

I guess the Navy has changed, too. Something to do with a lack of yardarms to hang pirates from, I imagine.